JPH0432356Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a pallet transfer device suitable for use in a free flow cycle, particularly for transferring pallets between stations in processing and assembly equipment.

Conventionally, devices for transferring pallets have been widely used in the field of machine tools and the like.

Chain conveyors, roller conveyors, etc. are common as free-flow cycle conveyors that have a degree of freedom in their cycles, and pallets are placed on rotatable rollers, rollers, etc. provided in an endless belt and moved.
If the movement of the pallet is restricted, the rollers and the like will move while rotating, so that almost no load is applied to the pallet.

However, in this case, the endless band is special, the device becomes large-scale, and vibrations and noise are generated.

On the other hand, there is a method that uses a belt, but since the pallet is placed directly on the belt, friction is generated all the time when the pallet is stopped, the load is large, the belt driving force is inevitably large, and nozzles are generated due to friction. do.

Therefore, a method was proposed in which cars were attached to the four corners of the pallets, which ran on guide rails, and the belt was brought into contact with the underside of the pallets during transportation.This method, to a certain extent, achieved the purpose of reducing the belt driving force.

However, noise and vibration still occur when the pallet is stopped, and a guide rail and means for regulating the direction of pallet transport are required.

The present invention was proposed in consideration of these points, and aims to reduce driving force, reduce noise, reduce vibration, and especially reduce the load when the pallet is stopped. The above objective was achieved with a small and simple structure by placing it on a band-shaped body.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
A strip rail 21 and a regulation rail 3 are fixed, and a belt 2 is placed on the rail 21. This belt 2 is an endless body made of rubber or steel, and has both ends (not shown) wrapped around rollers, one of which is driven by a motor, and the belt 2 runs in the direction indicated by the arrow X in FIG.

On the other hand, the pallet 7 has rollers 71 that protrude vertically.
is rotatably fitted onto a shaft 72, and this roller 71 rides on the belt 2.

At this time, since the roller 71 protrudes from the lower surface of the pallet, the belt 2 and the lower surface of the pallet 7 do not come into contact with each other.

The basic structure of the present invention is as described above, in which the pallet 7 is transported by the belt 2, and the regulating rail 3 faces the side surface of the pallet 7 to regulate the direction of transport.

When the pallet 7 is stopped by the stopper 4, which will be described later, only the roller 71 idles and rolls without slipping, so the load is extremely small and almost no noise or vibration occurs.

Next, the structure for stopping and positioning at the station will be explained. As shown in the first figure, the regulation rail 3 is cut off at the station position, and regulation pieces 31 are fixed to the base 1 at four locations.

The rotary claw 5 is supported by a shaft 52 on one regulating piece 31, and the front side becomes a slope 51 in the direction indicated by the arrow.
This area is made to coincide with the passage area of the pin 73 fixed to the pallet 7, and the height is set so that it does not hit the pin 73 on the near side of the slope 51 as shown in FIG.

Then, due to its own weight (or due to spring bias), a rotation force is generated in the clockwise direction in FIG. 2, and the rotation is restricted at the illustrated position.

A stopper 4 is fixedly provided on the shaft 41 at the front end thereof, and the front end faces the passage area of the pin 73.

This shaft 41 is connected to a sleeve 49 fixed to the base 1.
The shaft 41 is vertically movable and rotatable through the shaft, and its lower side faces the rod of a cylinder 45, and the shaft 41 is raised by the cylinder 45 to allow the pin 73 to pass therethrough.

This cylinder 45 is fixed to the base 1.

A detection plate 42 is slidably fitted under a sleeve 49 of the shaft 41, and a fixed pin of the plate 42 is fitted into a key groove 43 to prevent rotation.

This plate 42 is urged upward by a spring 44, and conversely, the shaft 41 is urged downward.

The detection plate 42 has a dogleg shape as shown in FIG. 5, and one end passes through the window hole 11 and a bolt is fixed to the tip.

The other end of the detection plate 42 is a pressing body 4 fixed to the base 1.
6, it is always urged to rotate clockwise in Fig. 5,
Window hole 11 regulates rotation. The pressing body 46 is fitted with an outer circumferential screw into an inner hole with a push pin urged to protrude through a spring, and is screwed onto the base 1 and secured with a nut.

Further, a proximity switch 48 is opposed to the base 1 so as to face the rotation range of the bolt 42.

Reference numeral 13 is provided so that the pin 73 comes into contact with the stopper 4 when it enters between the stopper 4 and the rotary pawl 5, and the switch 48 is activated at this position.

That is, the rotation range of the stopper 4 is restricted by the perforation 13 and the window hole 11, and when the transported pallet hits, the stopper 4 rotates until it hits the perforation 13 while being cushioned by the pressing body 46. The pallet 7 is stopped.

The stopper 4 is normally moved a little closer to the rotating claw 5 by the force of the pressing member 46.

There are two locating pins 6 below a predetermined position of the pallet at the station, which can be fitted into a bush 75 of the pallet 7.

The locate pin 6 is a sleeve 67 fixed to the base 1.
A connecting plate 63 fits into the lower groove 62, and this connecting plate is integrated with a rod of a cylinder 64 fixed to the base 1.

Also, a rack 61 is cut into the locate pin 6, and a pinion 65 integral with the shaft 66 is constantly engaged to synchronize the vertical movement of the locate pin 6.

Reference numeral 74 is a hitch fixed at the rear of the pallet so that it will hit here when the next pallet approaches.

Next, to explain the operation, the pallet 7 is transferred in the x direction by the belt 2, the pin 73 raises the slope 51 of the rotating claw 5, passes through it, pushes the stopper 4 slightly forward, and when it is caught between the two (Situation shown in the first figure) The pallet 7 is stopped by the stopper 4 and is not returned by the claw 5, and only the roller 71 is rotated by the force of the belt 2.

When this stops, it stops smoothly due to the buffering effect of the pressing body 46, and no vibration or noise is generated.

At this time, switch 48 detects the arrival of the pallet and issues a signal.

This signal drives the cylinder 64, causing the two locating pins 6 to rise, fit into the bushes 75, lift the pallet 7, and stop when they come into contact with the regulating piece 31.

At this time, the roller 71 is separated from the belt 2.

Positioning is now complete, and work such as assembly and processing can be performed.

When the work is completed, the cylinder 64 is driven in reverse to push the locate pin 6 below the pallet, and at the same time the cylinder 45 is driven to push the stopper 4, which is integral with the shaft 41, upward to allow the pin 73 to pass.

The pallet 7 is therefore transported by the belt 2,
The cylinder 45 is reversely driven and one operation is completed.

In this device, the belt always moves at a constant speed and does not need to stop.

As described above, according to the present invention, the structure is simple and compact, and the rollers only need to be provided in pallet units.
It has the advantage of being able to use a low-power motor with a small load, producing little noise, and suppressing vibration.

Furthermore, the structure of the stopper section is simple and compact, and the arrival of pallets can be reliably detected and the locate pins can be reliably synchronized, allowing for excellent pallet transfer.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is an embodiment of the present invention, a plan view of the station position, Fig. 2 is its AA sectional view, Fig. 3 is its BB sectional view, Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the rotating claw, and Fig. 5 is a sectional view of the station. The figure shows a partial explanation, and 1 is a base, 2 is a belt, 4 is a stopper, 5 is a rotating claw, 6 is a locate pin, and 7 is a pallet.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claim for Utility Model Registration] An endless strip disposed in the pallet transport direction and extending horizontally, a means for driving the strip, a pallet having a rotatable roller that rides on the strip, and regulation of the pallet transport direction. a stopper facing the pallet passage area; a shaft to which the stopper is fixed and which is freely raised and biased downward; means for raising the shaft; A detection plate that detects the pallet, a pressing body that urges the detection plate in the pallet return direction, and a stopper located at a position facing the pallet passing area.
A pallet transfer device comprising means for regulating the rotation range, which transports the pallet using a band-shaped body, and when the pallet is stopped, the rollers idle due to the band-shaped body.